Ahtanum is a low alpha acid aroma hop that was developed by Yakima Chief Ranches. It's typically used in American pale ales and IPA's for its floral and citrus notes: some consider this variety to be a solid substitute for Cascade or Amarillo. Alrighty, lets crunch some numbers.
Alpha Acids: 5.0%
Beta Acids: 4%-6%
Total Oil: 0.5-1.7
Aroma & Flavor Profile: Earthy, floral, citrus with notes of grapefruit and geranium.
Also known as VGXP01, the Amarillo® variety is exclusively managed by Virgil Gamache Farms of Toppenish, WA, where it was originally found growing wild in 1998.With respectable alpha acid content, Amarillo¨ can be a dual-purpose hop and contribute to bittering additions, but with its unique, highly sought-after aromas and flavors combined with high demand, it s most often seen in late-kettle or whirlpool additions and as a dry hop. Amarillo® is intense and pungent. Red grapefruit overtones reminiscent of Cascade are overlaid with tropical fruit and ripe melon. It can contribute a renowned musty dank quality much prized by those who love it.
Hop Type: Dual-Purpose
Origin: United States
Alpha Acid: (8.0 - 11.0)%
Similar Varieties: Centennial, Cascade
Common Styles: Pale Ale, IPA, Imperial IPA, Red Ale
Azacca® is a new hop from Washington that has great aromatic qualities making it great at late or dry hop additions. The aroma has sustained citrus and mango notes with a little orchard fruit. The high myrcene fraction makes this hop great in IPAs. Also with its high acid content, Azacca® can be used at the start of a boil to great affect.
Hop Statistics:Alpha Acids: 14 – 16%Beta Acids: 4.0 – 5.5%Alpha-Beta Ratio: 2.55 – 4Cohumulone: (% of alpha acids): 38 – 45%Total Oils in mls per 100 grams dried: 1.6 – 2.5Storage(% alpha acids remaining after 6 months storage at 68° F): N/ASimilar Hop Varieties: N/A
Developed by Hopsteiner Breeding Company and released in 2006, Bravo is a second generation super-alpha variety. It is an excellent bittering variety but showcases pleasant fruit and sweet floral aroma characteristics too. Specific aroma descriptors include orange, vanilla and floral.
Alpha Acids: 14.7%
Beta Acids: 3.5 - 5.5 %
Total Oil: 2.3 - 3.5 mL/100g
The granddaddy of American craft brewing hops, Cascade was bred in 1956 through a USDA program and first released in 1972. Its ancestry includes English Fuggle and Russian Serebrianka. Today it is the most widely-grown American aroma hop. The flavor and aroma are famously citrus-like (particularly ruby red grapefruit) with prominent floral tones. The classic finishing hop for pretty much any American craft style.
Hop Type: Dual-Purpose
Origin: United States
Alpha Acid: 5.9%
Similar Varieties: Centennial, CTZ
Common Styles: American style Pale Ale, IPA, Stout, Blond Ale, Wheat Ale
One of the classic "C" hops of American craft beer, many acres in Oregon and Washington are under Centennial. Bred in 1974 and released in 1990, its complex parentage includes Brewers Gold, Fuggle, and East Kent Goldings. Centennial is a dual-purpose variety with high alpha acids and excellent aromatic capabilities. It's widely used as a finishing or dry hop as a stand-alone variety or part of a blend. The flavor and aroma notes are predominantly citrusy but with undertones of lemongrass and pine needles often evident.
Hop Type: Dual-Purpose
Origin: United States
Alpha Acid: 7.8%
Similar Varieties: Cascade, Chinook
Common Styles: American style Pale Ale, IPA, Stout, Blond Ale, Wheat Ale
One of the classic "C" hops of American craft beer, many acres in Oregon and Washington are under Centennial. Bred in 1974 and released in 1990, its complex parentage includes Brewers Gold, Fuggle, and East Kent Goldings. Centennial is a dual-purpose variety with high alpha acids and excellent aromatic capabilities. It's widely used as a finishing or dry hop as a stand-alone variety or part of a blend. The flavor and aroma notes are predominantly citrusy but with undertones of lemongrass and pine needles often evident.
Hop Type: Dual-Purpose
Origin: United States
Alpha Acid: 7.8%
Similar Varieties: Cascade, Chinook
Common Styles: American style Pale Ale, IPA, Stout, Blond Ale, Wheat Ale
A signature variety of the English brewing tradition, Challenger is a granddaughter of Northern Brewer with some Northdown in its lineage as well. It was released in 1972 by Wye College. Although it has limited acres elsewhere, most of this hop s production remains in the UK. As a standalone hop or part of a blend, Challenger excels for boiler, hop back, and cask additions. Right at home in any English ale formulation, it has also found application in some west coast-style American IPAs. The flavor and aroma feature mild to moderately intense spice with elements of evergreen and ripe fruit. As a dry hop, Challenger adds a bright, grassy character. It blends well with earthy or floral varieties.
Hop Type: Dual-Purpose
Origin: United Kingdom
Alpha Acid: 6.3%
Similar Varieties: East Kent Goldings, Perle, Styrian Goldings
Common Styles: British-style Ale and Lager
Developed by the USDA breeding program and released in 1985 as a high-alpha variety, Chinook eventually found traction among craft brewers as a unique aroma and flavor hop. Its ancestry includes Petham Golding and USDA 63012. Thanks to its high alpha content and moderate cohumulone, Chinook delivers potent, smooth bitterness. The flavor and aroma are pungent, with suggestions of mountain pine and resin (especially as a dry hop) and notes of citrus and fragrant dried herb in the background.
Hop Type: Dual-Purpose
Origin: United States
Alpha Acid: (11 - 14)%
Similar Varieties: Galena, Nugget, CTZ, Citra®
Common Styles: American Pale Ale, IPA, American Lager
Citra® is a relatively new variety, developed by the Hop Breeding Company of Yakima from Hallertau Mittelfrüh, Tettnang, Brewers Gold, and East Kent Golding parentage. It's character is strongly tropical and lush with a host of fruit flavors including peach, passionfruit, guava, lychee, lime and gooseberry. Because of its distinctive and intense aromatics, Citra® is best in a late addition or dry hop capacity. Used as a single variety or in a blend, Citra® does well in American wheat beers, pale ales, IPAs Belgian-style ales, and has been known to complement Brettanomyces.
Hop Type: Dual-Purpose
Origin: United States
Alpha Acid: (11 - 13)%
Similar Varieties: Chinook
Common Styles: American-style Pale Ale, Wheat Beer, and IPA, Belgian-style Ale
Cluster is the oldest hop variety grown in the US, and until relatively recently it accounted for the majority of the acreage as well. The prevailing theory of its origin is pollination of hop varieties cultivated by English and Dutch settlers by indigenous wild hops. With balanced bittering and pungent but not unpleasant aromatics, Cluster adds to the authenticity of historical recipes as well as throwback American lager styles. Somewhat strong and largely underrated, the flavor and aroma of Cluster are spicy and floral with earthy blackcurrant undertones.
Hop Type: Dual-Purpose
Origin: United States
Alpha Acid: 8.3 %
Similar Varieties: Chinook, Nugget, Galena
Common Styles: Stout, light or dark Lagers
Columbus is a bittering hop from the United States. Used in IPAs, Imperial Ales, and Pale Ales. Can be referred to as CTZ (Columbus, Tomahawk, Zeus). Has an aroma profile of black pepper, licorice, and citrus.
Alpha Acids: 15.6%
Beta Acids: 4.5 - 6 %
Total Oil: 2.5 - 4.5 mL/100g
Comet is a bittering hop. Originally used for its high alpha acid, today Comet is used for a variety of beers. Although Comet is listed as a bittering hop, it delivers strong aromas of grass, grapefruit, and "Wild American."
Alpha Acids: 9.5 %
Beta Acids: 4 - 5%
Total Oils: 1.2 - 2 mL/100g
An American offspring of Hallertau, Crystal has a similarly mild aroma with floral and spice notes. However, the spice notes can be more prominent in Crystal than in Hallertau or other Hallertau offspring, contributing slight cinnamon, nutmeg, or pepper notes. Crystal is both very popular and increasingly popular among craft brewers, who most commonly use it in light American ales and continental style lagers.
Hop Type: Aroma
Origin: United States
Alpha Acid: 2.3%
Similar Varieties: Mt. Hood, Liberty
Common Styles: German Pilsners, American Pale Ales
CTZ is an umbrella term for the closely-related varieties Columbus, Tomahawk, and Zeus. Bred for high alpha potential, each variety shares parentage with Nugget. Excellent bittering capability as originally intended, but craft brewers have also harnessed CTZ s intense, citrus-and-spice pungence for American-style IPAs. Dry-hopping can bring out aromas of pine and spice.
Hop Type: Bittering
Origin: United States
Alpha Acid: 15.6%
Similar Varieties: Chinook, Nugget, Centennial
Common Styles: American-style IPA, Bitter Ale
The queen of English hops with a pedigree dating back to 1790, East Kent Golding is to British brewers what Hallertau Mittelfrüh is to their German colleagues. A premium appellation, East Kent Goldings hops can only come from East Kent - Goldings hops grown in other counties are known as UK Goldings. EKG has been a spotlight flavor in the profiles of hoppy ales from the British Isles: IPA, pale ale, and bitter. It s used at lower rates to subtler effect in Scottish and other darker, maltier ales. It's flowery with citrus peel or citrus candy overtones (lemon, white grapefruit, orange) and an herbaceous, spring meadow-like undercurrent. Otherwise, gentle and refined, dry hopping can bring forth its citrus aspects alongside a fresh grassy note.
Hop Type: Aroma
Origin: United Kingdom
Alpha Acid: (4.0 - 6.5)%
Similar Varieties: Progress, Fuggle, Willamette
Common Styles: English Pale Ale, Bitter Ale, Scottish Ale, Porter
Developed by Hop Breeding Company and released in 2014, Ekuanot™ Brand HBC 366 features pronounced aroma characteristics and extremely high oil content. This variety bursts out of the spring soil in vibrant yellow and gradually matures to a deep green color by fall harvest. Specific descriptors include melon, berry, orange peel, lime, papaya, pine and fresh peppers.
Alpha Acids:13 - 14.2 %
Beta Acids: 4 - 5 %
Total Oil: 2.5 - 4 mL/100g
El Dorado is a unique, dual-purpose hop with exceptional aroma qualities and high alpha acid levels. A relatively new variety, its consistent performance eliciting fruity notes, especially tropical fruit flavors, has quickly made El Dorado popular for hop-forward styles or beers with complex flavor profiles. Tasting notes commonly specify aromas of watermelon, pear, candy, or stone fruit. There is often an undertone of citrus, and sometimes an identifiable fresh-cut-grass taste.
Hop Type: Dual-Purpose
Origin: Moxee, WA (US)
Alpha Acid: 13.6%
Similar Varieties: Citra, Nelson Sauvin, Rakau
Common Styles: American Pale Ale, IPA
El Dorado is a unique, dual-purpose hop with exceptional aroma qualities and high alpha acid levels. A relatively new variety, its consistent performance eliciting fruity notes, especially tropical fruit flavors, has quickly made El Dorado popular for hop-forward styles or beers with complex flavor profiles. Tasting notes commonly specify aromas of watermelon, pear, candy, or stone fruit. There is often an undertone of citrus, and sometimes an identifiable fresh-cut-grass taste.
Hop Type: Dual-Purpose
Origin: Moxee, WA (US)
Alpha Acid: 13.6%
Similar Varieties: Citra, Nelson Sauvin, Rakau
Common Styles: American Pale Ale, IPA
Selected as a chance seedling back in 1861, Fuggle quickly became a dominant force in English hops. In 1949 it accounted for 78% of its home country s hop acreage. It is named for the grower in Kent who first introduced the variety. Fuggle is a workhorse hop in terms of style, favored in darker beers like porter, stout, and mild. It adds a classic English signature used alone or as part of a blend for late and dry-hopping English bitter, pale ale, and ESB. Many first-generation American craft brewers incorporated Fuggle in their groundbreaking pale ales. Fuggle is a pleasingly mild hop. The aroma is earthy-sweet and round with warm wood and mild tree fruit aromatics. Late additions and dry hop can break towards grassy. It is often paired with Goldings.
Hop Type: Aroma
Origin: United Kingdom
Alpha Acid: 4.3%
Similar Varieties: Willamette, Styrian Goldings
Common Styles: Mild Ale, Bitter Ale, Porter
Galaxy is a highly desired hop not only for its great bittering potential, but for its aromatics as well. This dual-purpose hop has become a favorite for pale ales and IPAs because of its subtle citrus notes and undertones of passionfruit, mango, and peach.
Hop Type: Dual-Purpose
Origin: Australia
Alpha Acid: 14.1%
Similar Varieties: Citra
Galaxy is a highly desired hop not only for its great bittering potential, but for its aromatics as well. This dual-purpose hop has become a favorite for pale ales and IPAs because of its subtle citrus notes and undertones of passionfruit, mango, and peach.
Hop Type: Dual-Purpose
Origin: Australia
Alpha Acid: 14.1%
Similar Varieties: Citra
Galena was bred in 1968 from an open pollination of an unknown male with Brewers Gold. Released in 1978, it continues to enjoy success as a multipurpose high-alpha variety. Given its high alpha and crop yield, Galena is most often found as a classic bittering hop, in much the same vein as Nugget and its descendants. But it is sometimes employed as a finishing hop. It has a mild to moderate character, with a surprisingly pleasant tropical citrus quality. Galena can also have a slightly rustic edge which belies its Brewers Gold ancestry.
Hop Type: Bittering
Origin: United States
Alpha Acid: 11.5%
Similar Varieties: Columbus, Nugget, Cluster, Chinook
Common Styles: American or English-style Ale, IPA
Glacier is a mild, dual-purpose hop with a pleasant aroma and low cohumulone levels.
Hop Type: Dual-Purpose
Origin: United States
Alpha Acid: 5.1%
Similar Varieties: Willamette, Fuggle
Common Styles: Pale Ale, ESB, Porter, Stout
